Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Simple is Better

Every month or so, I reinvent our meal plan.  Last week it was to simplify the plan drastically.  So much less thinking involved for me.  So much more freedom for the children.  It actually mirrors changes made in our homeschool.
For breakfast, it's fruit, of course.  Orange juice if I get that done before 9 am.  Lunch contains vegetables and fat.  Afternoon snack is fruit of choice.  Dinner is vegetables and whole grains.  That's the basics.  Nothing is required eating.  Fruit is always an option, and we have lots out and available for little hands.
Speaking of small children, I'm opting for buying small fruits.  I'm tired of finding half eaten huge apples all over the house (despite the "no food outside the kitchen" rule).

We've Come So Far

Sometimes you forget how far you've come.  Then a family gathering, or other food-centered activity reminds you how different you and your family eat compared to "normal", what you used to eat.
I think there's a long line on the spectrum of eating.  I think any steps toward ideal, however you define that, are great steps.  And with perspective, you can see just how far you have come.
As you are trying to move forward, do you do it in leaps or babysteps?  Just last week I was blessed with two perspectives on the same day. 
Original Fast Foods is offering a free download of their new 6 week Daniel's Challenge.  For those with serious health issues or lots of weight to lose, they recommend a 7 day fast and then a raw food diet until optimal health is reached.  Then, you can add back in, in small quantities, cooked whole foods.  That can be quite a challenge for someone not used to eating any fruits and vegetables in their natural state!  But it would create dramatic results.
Annalise at 811Family sent me advise in direct opposition.  She thinks we should move forward in evolving our diet just at the pace our body is comfortable with.  You should only eat as healthy as is comfortable for you.  A slow, gradual transition is more gentle, and you will get slower results.
I think both plans have merit.  The path you choose would depend on your family situation and amount of time you have to devote to diet, emotional health, shopping, and learning a new lifestyle.
As for myself, I'm going with Annalise's plan.  It makes for a happier Mommy.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

First Attempts at Healthier Diet

About ten years ago, I saw a celebrity on a talk show promoting her health makeover book.  I was impressed, bought the book, and tried the diet.  The plan called for fruit in the morning; one apple, one orange, and 1/2 a grapefruit.  No wonder I quit after just a few days, I was starving! 
I think I've overcome the conditioning that it is somehow gluttonous to eat a ton of fruit.  I don't mind eating my fill of bananas! 
Actually, I drink a lot of smoothies, as that's easier for me with a baby in arms.  My current "recipe" is:
1 1/2 cups water
7 bananas
5 romaine lettuce leaves
2 stalks celery
1 1/2 cups frozen fruit (blueberries, mangos, peaches, or whatever)

Monday, March 15, 2010

In the beginning...


I have this memory from high school, over 20 years ago, of a conversation with my mother.  I had heard something about Natural Hygiene and asked her if she knew anything about it.  She said she did, and that one of the components was that you eat just fruit until noon.  I tried it for a few days, having an orange for breakfast.  But of course I couldn't stick with it, because one orange is not enough!  It's all about eating enough fruit to equal the calories you used to eat in a meal. 

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Bananas, anyone?

I ordered three cases (40 lbs each) of bananas.  Two of them were supposed to be green.  But they all came in yellow.  Looks like it's time for a visit to Monkey Island!  My husband and I are going to have a contest to see who can eat the most bananas each day.  My goal is at least 30! 
In other news, my hair color is getting lighter, or shinier or something.  It looks different, in a very good way.

Post Edit:  Nutritional Info on Bananas from Nutrition Data
1 banana = 100g, according to my kitchen scale
30 bananas = 2660 calories / 2480 from carbs / 82 grams of fat / 110 grams of protein
93% calories from carbohydrate / 3% from fat / 4% from protein
RDA%
Vitamin A 40%
Vitamin C 440%
Vitamin B6 560%


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Adrenaline Junkies

Last night my husband and I watched an exciting show.  It was late when we started, and later by the time we finished, about 11:45 pm.  And then I couldn't sleep.  It was after 1 am before I fell asleep.  The same thing happened last week.
What does this have to do with food?  Well, it's all about adrenaline.  Just like excitotoxins in food rev up your body, media does the same thing to your mind.  I stopped reading the news a few months ago, I don't go to movies much anymore, I don't listen to the same music I did even a few years ago, and I don't watch tv, since we cancelled our satellite service last July.  Now, when I do, I it affects me noticeably.
As my diet gets cleaner and more simple, I get a real jolt from things that used to be normal for me - processed foods, refined sugar, and hot, spicy foods.  When I abstain from those, I notice the subtle flavors of natural foods, and truly enjoy them!
The same is true with my leisure activities.  I love the subtleties of classical music.  I enjoy quiet.  I like reading happy things.  And I really enjoy spending hours talking deeply with husband, instead of watching TV with him.
Health is about a lot more than what we put in our mouth.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Not loving acid fruits

I had a great day, yesterday.  80/10/10 raw vegan all day!  I love how I feel eating this way.
My problem is my baby.  He's got a diaper rash and skin eruptions.  My intuition says it's from oranges.  I already know that tomatoes and pineapple don't agree with us (we are a team).  So, I'm cutting out oranges for awhile to see if that helps.
My favorite smoothie right now is bananas with blueberries and celery.  Love it.  I could drink it all day!

Monday, March 8, 2010

More Fruit = More Energy

I woke up so excited about fruit today!  I started with two bananas before my morning walk.  I decided to push myself this morning, to see if I could do more than last week.  And I did!  I walked four miles and still feel great, not worn out.  Last week I got in a total of 16 miles.  This week, I'm aiming for 20.
Fruit is so amazing. It is the perfect fuel for all of our cells. I'm off to have a pile or oranges for breakfast...


Saturday, March 6, 2010

Orange Juicing for the Family

We made lots of orange juice this morning, using the Green Star juicer.  I had been using my little Cuisinart food pro with the citrus press attachment.  We were in danger of burning out the motor, trying to juice enough oranges for all of us.  There was more prep work with the Green Star, to be sure, but the actual juicing went much faster.  And the pulp was a lot drier!

We ended up with an assembly line, which greatly sped up the process.  Two people peeling, one segmenting, two young children feeding the pieces into the chute, and one person pushing the pieces down with the tamper.  I don't know how many oranges we juiced, but it was enough to satisfy the six of us.  I did have to clean the screen once, as I only have the fine screen meant more for veggie juices.
I think my oft neglected juicer is going to see a lot more action in days to come!

Listening to your body

More important than following an ideology is listening to your own body.  Yesterday, we were eating a big bowl of pineapple and my tongue started hurting like it had been burned.  I tried to eat more, but it hurt my whole month.  So, I stopped. 
Later, the image of an english cucumber came into my mind.  I grabbed one and ate it, sharing with my two-year-old.
My family is not 100% raw, and I made them a cooked dinner.  My body wanted that dinner!  I made a smoothie first, of bananas and blueberries and greens, to try to satisfy my hunger.  But it didn't work.  The smoothie tasted horrible to me and I could only finish half of it.  I tried eating tomatoes, and they burned my mouth like the pineapple did.
My body did not want anymore fruit.  Blaspheme?  No.
I have an almost five-month-old baby who is showing some signs of detox.  I think that I had to eat cooked food to slow down his detox, because he was having a rough time of it. 
I prayed about what to eat, because that's what I do, and I felt peaceful about eating the dinner I made for my family.  I still do, no regrets.
Am I back on the fruit train this morning?  Absolutely!  I'm going to try the Green Star Juicer to make orange juice.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Fruit by the case

This is what our fruit counter looked like this morning.  Two kinds of apples, oranges, bananas, cherry tomatoes, and pineapples.  Also shown is the dehydrator in the microwave spot, a bag of walnuts, and a container of almonds.
The banana basket and the orange basket get refilled about once a day.  That's 6-8 bunches of bananas.
I went to the store today and picked up two more cases of bananas.  It's hilarious, the comments I get from people, about pet monkeys and such.
I also took request from the family, and bought what they wanted:
Lyman (husband) - nectarines (he asked for peaches, best I could do)
DJ (9 yrs old) - strawberries
Gwen (7 yrs old) - pineapple
William (5 yrs old) - mango
Amanda (2 1/2 yrs old) - avocado
I am so grateful to live in this day and age where we can get such lovely, organic produce, even in March!

Here I Go!

Last December, I was reading in Green For Life, by Victoria Boutenko, about Clent Manich and his incredible weight-loss with green smoothies.  I knew it was time for me to give this a whole-hearted effort.  I also had been inspired by Annalise at Pulling Daisies and bought a copy of 80/10/10 by Dr. Douglas Graham.  Since December, I've been increasing my fruit consumption, decreasing my fat, and sometimes even going a couple of days all raw.
Well, now that I'm going public with it, it's for real.  No more excuses.  I have a whole life to live, and I want to live it to the fullest! 
I love what Victoria says in 12 Steps to Raw about how raw is not the goal, it is the means to the goal.  My primary goal is to have more children, as many as God wants to send me.  AND, I want to be the best mother I can be, patient, cheerful, loving, and energetic.  I know that eating a low-fat raw diet will help tremendously.  I know how happy and peaceful I feel when I eat that way for a few days, and I can't wait to see what it's like after a few weeks!